Accra: The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Kenneth Ashigbey, has called for the rapid implementation of the Ghana Gold Board's (GoldBod) gold traceability programme, describing it as critical to tackling illegal gold trading and the persistent galamsey menace.
According to Ghana Web, Ashigbey, who spoke on The Point of View, welcomed GoldBod's ongoing work on a track-and-trace system but stressed the need for urgency. He emphasized that replicating the gold board's market-end strategies in responsible sourcing could significantly address illegal mining challenges.
Ashigbey noted the challenges posed by the slow implementation of traceability measures, highlighting that the current system, where GoldBod purchases through sometimes untraceable agents, contributes to the persistence of illegal mining. He stressed the importance of expediting the traceability programme to ensure that gold entering the formal market is linked to responsible sources and to disrupt illicit flows linked to illegal mining.
He further warned that without swift action, the broader issues surrounding illicit flows and related challenges would persist, suggesting that society may need to revisit comprehensive discussions on the galamsey issue if improvements are not made.